Blind River goes up 3-1 on Soo Eagles with Game 4 road win

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE

Release Date: Friday, April 7, 2017

Blind River goes up 3-1 on Soo Eagles with Game 4 road win

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Blind River Beavers got goals at even strength, shorthanded, on the power play and a final one into an empty net to pull out a 4-1 victory over the Soo Eagles Friday in Game 4 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League West Division Final at Pullar Stadium.

With the result, Blind River now leads this best-of-seven series 3-1 and will have a chance to close it out Saturday on home ice at 7:30 p.m. as they look to punch their first-ever ticket to the NOJHL finals in franchise history.

The opening 20 minutes saw the visiting Beavers have the better chances outshooting the Eagles 14-8 in the first and they were rewarded late in the stanza as a forecheck behind the Sault Ste. Marie net allowed the puck to be sent in front where defenceman Cole Peck pinched in and backhanded the night’s initial tally blocker side past Soo starter Kade Phipps with just 4.2 seconds remaining in the session.

Some miscommunication behind the net between Phipps and one of his defenceman allowed Blind River to strike shorthanded in the second period with Yianni Liarakos stealing the puck then getting it in front where he deposited it into an open net at 3:11 to notch the eventual game-winner.

Blind River kept coming and went up 3-0 during a man advantage opportunity as the Beavers moved the play around nicely before Caleb Serre notched his third of the playoffs at 7:55.

On a five-on-three power play the Eagles got back into it midway through the frame as Nick Trecroce sent a soft pass from the blueline that was tapped in Jacob Palmerio past Beavers’ starter Aidan Doak.

Doak stood tall the rest of the way including keeping the home side off the score sheet during a five-minute power play in the third.

Then late in regulation Blind River’s Zak Lambrecht iced it with an long range empty netter from just past the centre ice red line with a half minute to go to round out the scoring.

Doak finished with 33 stops to record the win while Phipps stopped 37 of 40 in defeat.

NOJHL West Division Final
No. 2 Blind River Beavers vs. No. 4 Soo Eagles
Blind River leads best-of-seven series 3-1
Game 1: Blind River 2 Soo Eagles 1
Game 2: Blind River 3 Soo Eagles 0
Game 3: Soo Eagles 5 Blind River 0
Game 4: Blind River 4 Soo Eagles 1
Game 5: Saturday, April 8 @ Blind River (Community Centre)
Game 6*: Monday, April 10 @ Soo Eagles 7 p.m. (Pullar Stadium)
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 12 @ Blind River 7:30 p.m. (Community Centre)
*-if necessary